opinions

SLAVE MARRIAGES

SLAVE MARRIAGES

HAD NEITHER

LEGAL STANDING

NOR PROTECTION

FROM THE ABUSES

AND RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED ON THEM

BY SLAVE OWNERS.

SLAVE HUSBANDS AND WIVES,

WITHOUT LEGAL RECOURSE,

COULD BE SEPARATED

OR SOLD AT THEIR MASTER'S WILL.

COUPLES WHO RESIDED

ON DIFFERENT PLANTATIONS

WERE ALLOWED TO VISIT ONLY

WITH THE CONSENT OF THEIR OWNERS

.

SLAVES OFTEN MARRIED

WITHOUT THE BENEFIT OF CLERGY,

AND AS HISTORIAN JOHN BLASSINGAME STATES,

"THE MARRIAGE CEREMONY

IN MOST CASES CONSISTED

OF THE SLAVES SIMPLY GETTING

THE MASTER'S PERMISSION

AND MOVING INTO A CABIN

IF WE TEACH A DOG

TO BITE

AND IT DOES,

WHO IS AT FAULT.

OFTEN THE MARRIAGE CEREMONY

 CONSISTED OF MOVING IN TOGETHER.

COUPLES COULD BE SEPARATED

 AT MASTER’S WILL

AND CHILDREN BORN TO THEM

 BELONGED TO MASTER

 AND COULD BE SOLD.

TO KEEP A SLAVE POOR

AND UNEDUCATED

AND THEN TO BLAME THEM

 FOR BEING POOR AND UNEDUCATED

IS UNJUST

TO KEEP A FREEDMAN POOR

 AND UNEDUCATED

AND THEN TO BLAME THEM

FOR BEING POOR AND UNEDUCATED

IS UNJUSTIFIABLE

THE AGREEING OF THE SOUTHERN CHURCHES

WITH SLAVERY

 IS AKIN TO THE GERMAN CHURCHES

THAT EMBRACED NAZISM

………………………………………………………………………………………..

ESCHATOLOGY

THERE SEEMS TO BE TWO VIEWS OF ESCHATOLOGY

THE STUDY OF LAST THINGS

ONE CALLED APOCALYPTIC ESCHATOLOGY

CALLS FOR GOD TO ENTER HISTORY

AND STRAIGHTEN A WICKED WORLD

THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN RAPTURE

AND OTHERS

WHO BELIEVE

GOD IS A BOOGIE MAN

ARE FANS OF THIS VIEW

IT CALLS FOR GOD TO DO THE WORK

ANOTHER VIEW

IS CALLED SAPIENTIAL ESCHATOLOGY

WHICH SAYS

THAT GOD HAS GIVEN MAN

THE SKILLS TO MAKE A BETTER WORLD

THOSE WHO WORK AT MAKING A BETTER WORLD

LIKE PEACEMAKERS

HEALERS

THOSE WHO TOUCH THE UNTOUCHABLES

THOSE WHO DO THE CORPORAL WORKS OF MERCY

ARE FANS OF THIS VIEW

IT CALLS FOR MAN NOT GOD

TO REDEEM THE WORLD

WITH HIS GOD GIVEN SKILLS

WHO BELIEVE GOD IS EXPRESSED

BY OUR DEEDS

A GOD WHO WISHES MAN WELL

I TEND TO HOPE AND BELIEVE IN THE LATTER

GOD TEACHES US TO PRAY

YOUR KINGDOM

YOUR WILL BE DONE

ON EARTH

AS IT IS IN HEAVEN

HAS GOD

GIVEN US A FRUITLESS TASK

…………………………………………………………………

TAKE UP YOUR CROSS

I DON’T BELIEVE

THE HISTORICAL JESUS

SAID THESE WORDS

TO THE JEWISH PEASANT

TO WHICH HE WAS SPEAKING

THEY WOULD SIGNIFY

DEATH AND PUNISHMENT

HE WAS USED TO LABOR METAPHORS

PICK UP YOUR LOAD

PUT YOUR BACK INTO IT

IT WOULD MAKE MORE SENSE

FOR THE TIME

HE WAS TALKING TO A PEOPLE

WHO HAD BEEN HARDENED

IT WAS LIKE A SITUATION IN THE CAMPS

WHERE FATHER FOUGHT SON

OR SON FATHER

 FOR A CRUST OF BREAD

AS ELIE WEISER SAID

THE BEST OF US DID NOT SURVIVE

BUT CHRIST WAS SAYING

IN SPITE OF EVERYTHING DO THE RIGHT THING

AS VICTOR FRANKEL

ANOTHER CAMP SURVIVOR SAID

I WOULD NOT LET THEM

DETERMINE HOW I THINK AND ACT

WHAT CHRIST WAS SAYING

PICK UP THE BURDEN

OF LIVING DECENTLY

AND FOLLOW ME

FRANK A VOLLMER